Twickenham studios set to close

Debts mount at historic London site

LONDON — London’s historic Twickenham Film Studios is set to close just one year short of its centenary, after the loss-making facility went into administration, the U.K. equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Recent films that used the studios include “My Week With Marilyn,” “The Iron Lady” and “War Horse.”

But it has been losing money for three years. After being put into administration, the site will be wound down as a working studio and is expected to close in June. Around half its 17 employees have already left. Studio manager is Caroline Tipple who joined in 1978.

Administrator Gerald Krasner, who is seeking a buyer for the site, said it is unlikely to be maintained as a studio by a new owner.

Originally named St Margaret’s Studio after the area in south-west London where it is based, the studio adopted the name of nearby Twickenham in 1923. At the time, it was the U.K.’s largest film studio.